Category: Organization

Reading, writing, arithmetic. Three (3) fundamentals taught to every child in grade school and also things I like to call the basics of life. Today I’m starting a series on these fundamentals – with a twist of course – in which I will share tips on how we can use these simple concepts in our daily lives, to help us all be better at “adulting”.

Today’s topic, bullet journaling, is tied to the 2nd fundamental, writing. Here’s a brief history before we talk about the what and how:

Developed by Ryder Carroll, diagnosed with learning disabilities early in life.

Best described as a mindfulness practice disguised as a productivity system.

Designed to help you organize your whatwhile you remain aware of your why.

Truly about: the art of intentional living.

In essence, bullet journaling is writing down what you need to do and getting organized. If you want to go deeper on the topic, you can read a book on bullet journaling, watch a TED talk about living intentionally, view a YouTube video on how bullet journaling works from Ryder himself (highly recommended) or even see how others are setting up their bullet journals on Instagram/Pinterest (Some of these are seriously next level… I can’t draw so I just keep my bullet journal super basic). There’s even a bullet journal app (iOS, Android)!

Not interested in all that? Ok! Let’s get right to the question of, “How do I get started?”

All you need is a notebook and a pen (or pencil). Any notebook will do! My suggestion? (because I’m super anal about good quality paper and pens) Get a notebook you love and a pen you like.

Start by creating a mental inventory (bulleted list). Simply write down all the things you need to do, the things you should be doing and the things you want to do.

For each thing you wrote down, ask yourself:

Why am I doing this thing? Does it matter? Is it a vital activity for me (pay taxes) or for someone else? How will this enhance my life?

This is where intentionality comes into the picture. If you determine the thing you wrote down doesn’t matter or that it isn’t vital, remove if from your list by scratching it off and move on to something else! When you complete a task, mark it as complete (by putting an x on the bullet next to the task).

OPTIONAL: Sure, you can get fancy and organize your tasks or to do items by month, week, monthly calendar, create themes (called collections in the bullet journal system – i.e. books to read, restaurants to try), color code your tasks, assign due dates/priorities and even create an index (yes, like in a book where you number each page and have a quick reference on the first page of your notebook). You can decide if your bujo is just for your personal stuff or it if will also include work as well. This, in essence, is how to bullet journal. You can organize your bullet journal however you like or choose not to organize it at all. The choice is yours!

Notes about my system/approach

I do not use daily views/logs/tasks. I personally think they are too cumbersome. I prefer to only use monthly and weekly views – this allows for flexibility.

If there’s a task you assigned to today, this week or this month and you were not able to get to it for whatever reason (i.e. clean the baseboards), just simply move it to the next day/week/month by putting an -> (arrow) on the bullet. This is called migrating in the bullet journaling world.

As you learn more about the system and which approach works best for you, know that you can change your format/setup at any time! This month’s spread/task list may look totally different than next months and that’s ok.

Keep your bullet journal with you at all times and review your bulleted lists/collections daily.

When something comes to mind that you want to do or explore, write it down immediately! This called reflection – you should constantly re-evaluate your to do lists and update them as needed.

2019 is almost upon us so get yourself a pen and a notebook and get started! Start by writing down your goals for the new year or figuring out what collections you want to include. At the end of the year, you will have something of a master piece.

Most bloggers share this kind of information on YouTube. I’ve watched many videos and I’m completely #over watching people take things in and out of bags. 😕

Over the past five (5) years I’ve taken at least fifteen (15) international trips and have had many more domestic excursions. Over time I have PERFECTED MY TRAVEL TECHNIQUE. It’s actually a fun experience for me! So I thought I would share all the fabulous items I take with me on trips (or on holiday as our European friends would say 😘). Before we start, let’s get one thing out of the way: I NEVER CHECK BAGS no matter where I’m going or for how long. I’ve made a carry-on suitcase and a tote/backpack work for two-week trips to Europe so I know you can do it for a weekend getaway or even a week-long trip (with a little a lot of planning).

Travel mantra: Organize! Everything has a place and every place has a thing.

This is my PERSONAL ITEM (something that will fit underneath the seat). I am currently using the Henri Bendel Jetsetter Backpack. I absolutely ❤️ it and it holds SO MUCH! How much? Everything you see in the picture above! (click the image to zoom in)

On one side I pack all of my clothes. Mostly solid/plain pieces that I can mix and match. For every 1 pair of pants I will take 2 shirts (remember to count the bottoms you are wearing!) The trip I’m currently packing for is only 3 days (Saturday – Monday) so I packed 1 additional pair of pants besides the jeans I wore on the plane, 2 shirts and 1 jean shirt. See below for the 3 outfits I made from this combination. (see also Meaningful Holidays)

day 1

day 2

day 3

pajamas, jcrew style 🙂

Side 1 of my suitcase was pretty easy. Side 2? Not so much! 😩 This is where my mantra REALLY comes into play (O-R-G-A-N-I-Z-E❗️). Take a look at side 2 below. This is where I pack everything else:

Looks nice and neat right? That’s because it is! ORGANIZE. ORGANIZE. ORGANIZE! On the left hand side:

Finally, there’s a sleep mask from J. Crew 🙂 This one is sold out but here’s another good option from Slip Beauty that’s also on my wish list.

non-liquid items

daily smaller-size go-to makeup essentials

tech stuff

On the right hand side is:

Get ready for this super travel tip: my Gucci Soho Disco Handbag serves as storage for all of my underwear, socks, comb, hair bonnet and my prescription glasses! (GREAT way to help the bag keep it’s shape while on the go!)

The Anya Hindmarch In Flight Case has all of my liquids: makeup, skin care, etc. ❤️❤️❤️ this bag and the contents EVEN MORE! This case has two sides: Take Off (deepest) and Touch Down (more shallow). I ALWAYS buy smaller sizes of the products I use everyday to take with me. #justsayno to those clear plastic containers that can all contain what can appear to be mystery liquid. #nobueno 👎🏽 I absolutely love all of my things and I want to see them in as close to their original form as possible!!! 😍

Finally, I have a Tory Burch umbrella (no longer available ☹️).

Did you notice there’s no jewelry mentioned? That’s because I don’t wear much. I usually take 1-2 bracelets and it’s on me at all times: a dainty necklace, my pandora thumb ring, michael kors watch, some form of studs for earrings and my wedding ring – that’s it!

I ❤️ watching lifestyle bloggers on YouTube. They talk about everything from fashion to beauty, health, book recommendations, how they structure their days and so much more! I’d say I spend at least an hour each day watching videos (or reading blog posts online). I’m learning different ways to take better care of myself (mentally, physically, spiritually) and it keeps me from sitting in front of the idiot box all day even though nothing is really ever on. Establishing a regular self-care/pamper routine has been one of my learnings and I do it on Sundays since that’s the day I always have time to do a little extra. It also helps you relax before the work week starts!

This post is about having a routine to pamper yourself. To be honest, I’ve never really done this before, nor have I had a staple set of staple products to assist in such an effort. Thanks to YouTube, that has changed!!! 👍🏽💃🏽

When it comes to the routine below, modify the products/steps to fit your budget and/or tastes. i.e. If you don’t do your own nails, skip that step. And before you waiver on the need to do all this / for the complexity… don’t you deserve pampering?? If not every week, then every other week or maybe once a month? I think yes! (Note: The times are just estimates – start whenever you want – and I DO multi-task where it makes sense to speed things up a bit. I also included pictures of my absolute favorite items! and a few emojis because… why not?

07:55 PM Set the tone!Turn off the tv, light a Diptyque (Nordstrom) or Nest candle (Nordstrom) and turn on some relaxing music 🎤 (Spotify). The kind that will help you turn ⬇️ not turn ⬆️! This is a great time to listen to a new album or audiobook. PS: recycle the jar!

11:00 PM Put on a fancy sleep mask and get some zzz’s! (Nordstrom) 😴💤 tip: get the matching pillowcase, too (Nordstrom)

Final thought: DO NOT rush the process!!! If you find yourself rushing through steps or wondering if you’re doing it right you are missing the point! It’s called #PamperMeSunday for a reason!! Enjoy feeling fabulous! 😘

*This product is not cheap! Use no more than a quarter-size for your upper body and another quarter-size for your lower half. Squeeze your sea sponge frequently to maximize the product.

So, beautiful people… it’s time for Bri’s Favorite Things 2016! Looking over my list, I can truly say that ACCESSORIES definitely stole the year! If you’ve been reading my blog for a while, you already know the deal:

Shopping is easy when you buy the thingsyou love for the people you love

I only recommend things I’ve actually purchased for myself ❤️❤️❤️

There are more than twenty-five items this year!!! 😳 All super fabulous, of course. ☺️ If you’re a guy and need ideas for your gal, this list is for you! If you’re a girl shopping for your mom, sister, neice, cousin, BFF (or for yourself 😉), this list is also for you!

A few weeks ago I told you planning season was officially underway (for me). Now I’ve found #plannerpeace <== the state in which you are finally happy with your planner setup, accessories, layout, etc. There are SO many videos on YouTube of people walking through their planner, some in excruciating detail. And while I do want to join the party and show off my setup, I decided to take a different approach. So here goes (click the links to shop):

The picture above shows my “dashboard” – the first view I see when I open my planner. gold/marble pocket, pink & white post-it-notes,bow paper clip, bee stickers, square clips, gold pen. I found all this stuff by watching TONS of YouTube videos. The dark brown paper with the markings is just a receipt holder from the Louis Vuitton store. It’s sturdy enough to ensure those impressions, caused by the rings, don’t make their way onto the planner itself. I also have one in the back.

So what’s inside? I’m into more of a minimalist look so you won’t see tons of stickers, etc. I do use washi tapeVERY sparingly, mostly in gold, black, white and blush (the theme for my planner). Inside I have 3 2 sections: planning, personal notes and work notes. #simple

The first section, shown above, is my planning section. This marble A5 paper, intended for daily use, is amazing; however, I do not use it as suggested. I use a coding system that I learned while in grad school to notate days of the week. Most are pretty straight forward except N = Sunday and R = Thursday. For me, each side of one of these planning pages = 1 week worth of planning. I note recurring appointments simply by using two letters together (i.e. MW = Monday and Wednesday) and use the extra space at the bottom for notes, etc. I do not write down all of my work stuff, only the most important meetings. Finally, my tasks / priorities for the week are listed on the right hand side. This paper is expensive, $11 for 30 sheets (or 60 days); but, by using a short hand system that works perfectly fine for my needs, I get more bang for my buck (1 pack gets me through the year); but, more importantly I avoid lugging around hundreds of pages of paper – the weight CAN add up. 😩

Sections 2 and 3 are strictly for note taking, because I like to write – a lot. I use blush lined paper for my personal, more important notes (poems, etc.) and plain white lined paper for work and general scratch paper (packing lists, etc.) Sure, you can print this paper yourself, cut and hole punch it, etc, but honestly, I’d rather not. The stickers are there for decoration only, I never actually use them.

8/28: Update – I merged sections 2 and 3 (notes section) and exclusively use the blush paper from Minted Sugar for all my notes.

So there you have it. That’s my #plannersituation! Very simple. Here are my favorite shops: sessa vee, minted sugar, cloth & paper. Oh and BTW, you probably noticed a black card peaking out in the very first picture – it’s my absolute favorite card of all time and I LOVE looking at it!